Dental appliance.



E. E. HOLMES.

DENTAL APPLIANCE. APPLICATION FILED 11116.13, 190v.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' ERWIN EUGENE HOLMES, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR .OF ONE-FOURTHTO GEORGE E. COBURN, ONE-FOURTH TO IDA A. HOLMES, AND ONE-FOURTH TOGRANT H. CLAY, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

DENTAL APPLIANCE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERWIN EUGENE I-IoLMES, a citizen of the UnitedStates, resldlng at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State ofIndiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DentalAppliances, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for taking wax impressions of teeth;and the object of the invention is to provide a device of the abovecharacter whereby wax impressions of the gums can be accurately taken.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which form a part of thisapplication, Figure 1 is a top or plan view of my device for taking waximpressions for making sets of artificial teeth, showing the wax on thetop tray or pan with the impression of a set of teeth indicated therein.Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1 in which thewax has been omitted. Fig. 3 is a central longitudinal sectional Viewthroughout the device, showing the separation and relative position ofthe two wax biscuits. Fig. 4- is a perspective view of the device withthe wax omltted.

In the drawings, 1 and 2 represent a pair of similarly formedinterchangeable pans or trays which conjunctively form the body of mydevice, in which each tray is provided with a notch 3. The side edges ofsaid trays are formed to assume curves to correspond, in a measure, tothe inner contour of the human mouth and extend back sufficiently totake in the Wisdom-teeth, where the plates are cut off in a transversemanner. The front ends of the trays 1 and 2 are contracted and terminatein the handles 4 and 5 so that the device can be more easily manipulatedby the operator. The trays for receiving the wax are preferably definedby the marginal shoulders 7 but these are not essential except to imparta finished appearance to the tool.

After the wax has been applied to the trays, commonly known among theprofession as the wax biscuits, and it is desired to take an impressionof the teeth, the handles 4 and 5 are first brought closely together sothat the device can be more easily inserted into the mouth. At thispoint of o eration especial attention is called to the act that afterSpecification 01 Letters Patent.

Application filed August 13, 1907.

Patented Dec. 1, 1908.

Serial No. 388,307.

the device has been inserted into the mouth, that instead of requiringthe patient to make the bite which would simultaneously drive or forcethe upper and lower teeth into the wax biscuits, as the custom nowobtains, the operator raises the device to the palate of the mouth andby manual force presses the wax biscuit on the upper tray against theteeth of the upper jaw the patient contributing nothing up to andincluding this operation.

The first proposition now to be considered is that the upper jaw isformed with the head, moves with it, and is therefore, theoreticallyspeaking, a fixed thing, and that the only movement that must beconsidered by the operator is that which relates to the lower jaw. Thefixed or upper jaw thus becomes the base or starting point from which tocarry forward the remaining portion of the work. Therefore, when the waxplate in the upper tray has been pressed around the teeth in the upperjaw by the operator, said tray and the associated wax biscuit becomes,for all intent and purposes, a fixed object, and together with the headcollectively forms a fixed unit. At this point of the operation thepatient is requested to make the bite, which requires only a movement ofthe lower jaw so as to force the teeth of said jaw into the wax on thelower tray. The latter operation is the only one which devolves upon thepatient.

The plates 1 and 2 are hingedly secured together by means of the hinge 9on a transverse line about central to parallel lines drawn through boththe incisors and the wisdom-teeth. The closing of the lower jaw whenmaking the bite will cause a slight upward movement of the bottom plate,and the tendency of this movement is to anatomically correct the actionof the jaw, keeping it in its normal path, and thereby preventing thejaw from being extended, which would insure an improper occlusion andarticulation of the teeth when completed, as has heretofore been ointedout. WVith this movement of the ower plate however, this error isovercome. When the movement of the lower has ceased the plates 1 and 2,will have assumed the planes corresponding to the surfaces of the teeth,while the wax biscuits will contain the imprint of the teeth.

Before the patient is. requested to open the bolt 10 which is pivotallysecured to one of said members. This bolt can be moved so as to engagethe notch 11 in the second member and is provided with a milled thumbnut14. By means of the nut 14 minute adjustment between the plates 1 and 2can be secured and maintained. The plates are also provided with an"expanding tensionspring 15 which may be placed between said plates ateither end as the operator may desire.

The plates 1 and 2, as before stated, are provided with the notches 8,and the object of these notches is to provide an air passage throughwhich the patient may obtain air during the ordeal of making the waximpressions of the teeth.

Having thus fully described my said in mention, what I "desire to secureby Letters *Patent, is-

1. A device for taking impressions or bites for artificial teethcomprising a plurality of base-plates for holding the wax in dividedparts and means for pivotally securing said plates a distance from theirends.

2. A device for taking impressions or bites for artificial teethcomprising a plurality of base-plates for holding a like number ofseparated wax biscuits and provided with an air passage, and means forpivotally securing said plates a distance from their ends.

In witness whereof, I, have hereunto set my hand and seal atIndianapolis, Indiana, this, 9th day of August, D. one thousand ninehundred and seven.

ER WIN EUGENE HOLMES. [u s] W'itnesses:

F. WV. VVOERNER,

E. E. MILLER.

